


Shadow Hunter May Cry

by Engineer_of_Epicness



Category: Devil May Cry, The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:35:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28666314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Engineer_of_Epicness/pseuds/Engineer_of_Epicness
Summary: The Clave has been ignorant of much in the Downworld. Prime among is the Demon hunting group in the States, known as Devil May Cry. Rated for Violence, Gore, Language
Relationships: Clary Fray/Jace Wayland, Kyrie/Nero (Devil May Cry), Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Simon Lewis/Isabelle Lightwood
Kudos: 5





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t own the Royalties, only a copy of DMC4, while my sister owns most of the books. I do not own any recognisable characters, and any own characters are not created with the intention of copying existing persons or characters. Inspiration may, however, be taken from a variety of sources, and flattery through imitation is intended.

_In the Beginning, there was Chaos. From that Chaos was born a desire for Change. With Change came the first beings. The Earth Mother, Gaia. The World Giant, Ymir. The Sky Father, An. The One Above, Yahweh. The Four of the Desert, Atum, Ptah, Thoth and Khnum. The One Within, Vishnu. The Creator Goddess, Woman Gua. The First, Amanominakanushi-no-kami. The One from the Mirror, Tiki. The First Gods and Goddesses of Creation each took a section of the newly formed planet as their own. They took to their task with gusto, filling the Earth with plants, animals and ideas. Soon, Man walked the Earth. In each area, Man took notice of the divine and began to worship the Gods. From there, countless religions were born, Pantheons rising and falling. The Gods chose their champions among the Men, to act as Envoys, Proxies and Voices. The Age of Heroes is recorded in every story told through history._

_At the Turning of the Common Era, the Age of Heroes began to fall. Entire Pantheons, once with entire civilisations worshipping them, began to fade. Darkness was encroaching, and Earth was its goal._

_Termed_ demons _, these invaders wanted nothing more than to burn the beings of Earth, then use up all resources, mundane and magical, before moving onto the next Realm._

_Over the next few Centuries, the various deities fought with everything they had to hold off the demons. Eventually, one of the Abrahamic Medium Tier deities, Sabriel, the Archangel of the Morning Star, Fell amongst the demons and cast aside his Authority. He took up the name Lucifer and sealed a large portion of the Demon Horde into a Realm that they had razed previously. Slaying, converting and aligning with Demons led him to forge the Realm into 9 Rings, with only the weakest demons in the 1 st, outermost Ring – the Ring closest to our own Realm. With 6 others, he bound the Demon Horde to a Code that prevented them from conquering his home Realm without a majority Alliance._

_Back on Earth, the humans went through a Dark Age, with most Gods having faded, or lost their power. In the East, only the Buddhist Pantheon, a consolidation of the Chinese and Shinto Pantheons, and the Hindu Pantheon stood. In the West, the Abrahamic Pantheon stood victorious; however, the Norse had withdrawn to Asgard to regain their strength._

_\------------------/-------------------------\\----------------------_

_Towards the end of the Era known as Renaissance, there was a Holy War. The Demon Horde under the Pillars of Lust, Wrath, Envy and Gluttony raised the tower of Temen Ni Gru off the coast of Italy and made to overrun the Mortal Plane. It was potentially the worst time for Humanity to be the host of a Holy War- The Age of Heroes had died completely during the medieval years and gunpowder and its associated technologies had yet to be discovered._

_The Heavenly Host, still recovering from losing one of the Seraphim Council, sent minimal aid to the Mortal Plane. Only Raziel, who had nearly been expelled from Heaven for creating artificial Nephilim, the Shadowhunters, aided Earth in person. Standing alongside his champions, the Shadowhunters, the Archangel tried to fend off the horde. While their efforts were indeed valiant, they could not do much beyond slow the demons’ advance, until something changed._

_Sparda, the Dark Knight. General in the Demon Horde, second only to Asmodeus, the General of the Dark Army and Pillar of Envy. He awoke to Justice and turned his back on the Horde. He forged a new sword, naming it the Yamato, using the Japanese Katana as its inspiration. Into this blade, he put all of his knowledge of seals, his precise technique in swordsmanship and the ability to channel energy in various forms._

_He went to Raziel and brought with him a plan - A plan to force the Demons back to the 9 Rings and lock them there. To do this, power would be needed. The remaining Shadowhunters were not powerful enough, and no other angel would leave Heaven to aid Raziel._

_Once more Sparda forged a sword, this time in the image of his first blade - Force Edge. Into this weapon, he channelled his raw power, his anger at what his fellow demon would bring to the world, and the potential of_ change _. The rebellion was this blade’s purpose, and Rebellion would be its name._

_Sparda called upon the Demons who had sworn themselves, their souls to him: Nevan, a Lightning Succubus; Cerberus; a 3 headed Frozen Hellhound and the Oni twins, Agni and Rudra. Sparda posted these demons within the tower and charged them with 1 task:_

_Defend the tower from any who would enter it and reopen the portal._

_Sparda and Raziel led the raid upon Temen Ni Gru along with the remaining Shadowhunters and Sparda’s Demons. With Rebellion and Yamato in hand, Sparda felled demon after demon, their blood running down the stairs of the tower like a crimson river. Raziel flew outside, sniping demons from afar – preventing them from flanking the force. The Shadowhunters staged an assault on the front entrance alongside the Demon General._

_Within the Tower, Sparda posted one of his Demons at each of the Fortified doors that he and his force took. At the final door, having no more Demons, he bound one of the defending demons to the door, Beowulf-an Ogre demon. Beowulf’s cries of traitors and humans echoed throughout the tower._

_At the summit where the 7 bells tolled, only 3 beings arrived: Sparda himself; Maria Robinstorm, a Shadowhunter Rune-Witch and Raziel. They were met with Agamemnon, the Pillar of Gluttony. While Sparda and Raziel rushed the Demon, Maria began to draw runes upon the stone floor, using a mix of her own blood and that spilt by the warring demons and angel._

_When she had finished, Sparda and Raziel made one last push and threw the Pillar Demon from the Tower back into the Underworld._

_Sparda plunged the Yamato into the centre of the rune circle, preparing to lock the Gates of Hell. Maria Robinstorm, the last of the Shadowhunters who had raided the Tower knew that if Sparda alone locked the Gate, a sufficiently powerful demon would be able to force the doors later. She plunged her sword through her heart, spilling her Nephilim lifeblood over the Yamato. Now the blood of a Shadowhunter would be needed to unlock the Tower and its Gate._

_The Plan had succeeded but at an astronomical cost. Every Shadowhunter who had marched to the tower had fallen, with Maria sacrificing herself to finish the job. Sparda, in locking the Gate, had locked his own power in Hell reducing his power to that of a mere Warlock._

_At the last Toll of the Seven Bells, Light shone down from the Heavens, the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Azreal descended from the Gates, a complement of the 111 in formation around them. Raziel was apprehended by the Envoy of the Heavens and brought before the Council. Despite his actions in preventing a Holy War, the White Council condemned the Angel of Mysteries for interfering directly with the Mortal Plain once more, and for allying with a Demon Lord._

_Raziel had his power bound to his Throne, forever tying his might to the Heavens. No more would the Archangel be able to interact with Earth of his own accord._

~City of Idris, Swiss Alps – 1st July 2013~

5 young adults waited outside the Idris Institute, all garbed in the typical black fitted gear of the Shadowhunters.

“So, what do you guys think the old bat wants?” the tall blond male asked.

“Yanno, Jace, one day the Consul will get you for all the name-calling. And then you will _suffer_ ,” a dark-haired young man wearing a “Metallica” t-shirt replied.

“Oi, Simon, I want no snark from the new guy, yeah?” was Jace’s witty retort.

A female with long raven hair in two braids interjected, “Ladies, you are both pretty. Now shut up, before Alec slaps you, or Clary stabs you.”

The tall raven male, with a bow and quiver, slung over his shoulder smirked, while a petite redhead- with a grimoire in a pouch at her hip- grinned viciously and ran her hand over the handle of her sword. The arguing males shut up – the threat had been used and carried out before.

The door swung open, allowing them entrance to the office. The room was large; easily 20 square metres, and had a high arched ceiling. The eastern wall, opposite the entrance, was made up of floor to ceiling windows overlooking the City of Alicante. Bookshelves framed the fireplace on the South wall, a collection of comfortable chairs and couches arranged around the fire. On the North wall stood a filing cabinet. The rest of the wall was covered with portraits of past Consuls and heroes to the Shadowhunters. Certain portraits were rimmed in gold – marking persons who had made great strides in leading the Clave; while others had a red line _slashed_ over them, marking traitors or worse.

Consul Jia Penhallow waited behind her desk, facing the window.

“Rune Witch Clarissa Fairchild; Paladins Jace Herondale and Isabelle Lightwood; Dragoon Alexander Lightwood; Simon Lewis. Your team has grown from strength to strength since you solved our Morgenstern problem in New York.”

The youth in question snapped to attention. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“I have an assignment for you. On the Eastern Seaboard of the United States of America, there is a City that has an extremely high concentration of Demonic energies. According to the records left by previous Consuls, despite having zero Shadowhunter presence there, there has not been a single incident requiring intervention in the past 2 centuries, barring a brief period about 20 years ago. I want the five of you to travel there to determine who is keeping a thumb on the demons, and to hopefully tie them to the Enclave.”

“Understood, ma’am. What is the name of this city?”

“Redgrave”


	2. Mission 1 - Sparda's Hold on Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dante and Virgil transverse Hell, eventually finding their Father's one time home there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own the Royalties, only a copy of DMC4, while my sister owns most of the books. I do not own any recognisable characters, and any own characters are not created with the intention of copying existing persons or characters. Inspiration may, however, be taken from a variety of sources, and flattery through imitation is intended.
> 
> “Talking”  
> ‘Thinking’ (italic)  
> “Telepathy” (Italic)  
> “Demon Lords/Deities” (Bold)

** Mission 1 – _Sparda’s Hold on Hell_ **

“Every religion on Earth has reference to another realm. The Underworld, The Mirror World, The Reverse side of the World, Helheim, Hell, Tartarus, Limbo, Purgatory – there are many names for the same place.

“As often happen when humans try to explain something, they only get a part of the whole. When all these ideas are brought together, and one removes the chaff, the ideas become an Idea. This Realm’s original purpose was to act as a way station between Life and Death, a place for human souls to go after death before moving on to their particular afterlife. When Lucifer Fell into the Demon Horde, he gave the realm a second Purpose. It would act as a buffer zone between Earth and the newly formed Demon Realm.

He then forged the 9 Rings of Hell beyond it, building checks and locks that would only allow certain demons through. The First Ring would contain only the weakest of demons- unnamed grunts, cannon fodder. And so it went, each Ring holding more powerful demons back, until the 7th Ring.

Here sat the Lower Demon Lords, Named Demons who had gained the allegiance of enough lesser demons to carve out their personal territory in Hell.

Beyond them, the 8th Ring held the High Demon Lords, the strongest Named demons in Hell, each Demon Lord capable of summoning hordes of lesser demons numbering in the millions. These Demon Lords, in turn, pledged allegiance to one of the Seven Demon Pillars residing in the 9th, and final, Ring.

Lilith, Demon Pillar of Lust. Mother of Succubi, Incubi and various Faë lines.

Asmodeus, Demon Pillar of Envy and the General of the Dark Armies. Sparda once swore allegiance to him.

Leviathan, Demon Pillar of Wrath. Spawn of the Nidhogg, corrupted by demonic energies.

Abbadon, Demon Pillar of Gluttony. A being capable of consuming all in its way; be it animal, plant, mineral or energy.

Ashtaroth, Demon Pillar of Sloth. One who would play the long game, making minor movements now to create grand effects in a century’s time.

Mundus, Demon Pillar of Greed - Technically, the third demon to bear the name Mundus, who, as you know, used to serve under Sparda.

And finally, Lucifer, Demon Pillar of Pride. The Fallen Star, the Forsaken One. He forged the Pact that held the Gates of Hell closed, at least until a majority Force agreed to march.”

“You know, as boring as it is to wander through this literal hellhole, it seems a better idea than hearing you drone on about ancient history.”

“Dante, if you knew the politics of Hell, you would understand exactly what turmoil was caused down here when you killed Mundus. If Lilith hadn’t disappeared almost immediately afterwards, it is likely that the tiebreaker would have caused the Gates to crack.”

“Seriously, Verge, you should be a history teacher. Your droning could force a ghost to cross over.”

“Dammit, Dante! If the Gate had cracked, the Horde could have broken it and stormed Earth! You think our misadventures where invasions? Those were barely scouting parties compared to what would happen if the gates opened!”

The Sparda brothers, Vergil and Dante, trekked through the 6th ring past hundreds of ruined buildings scattered across the landscape. At first glance, it looked like it could be a place on Earth, at least until you examined the details. Each blade of grass was razor-sharp, capable of cutting through flesh after barely brushing it. An ominous haze wisped upward from the lakes, bubbles popping audibly on the surface every few minutes. Heavy clouds hovered in the sky, frozen lighting cutting the monotonous grey and illuminating the area. The trees, few as they were, clawed at the sky, shaking and shivering in the nonexistent wind. In the far distance, howls and screams sounded. Most Demons had learnt already – Do NOT challenge the Spardas lest you wind up impaled, lacerated, perforated, flattened, shredded or in one particular case, imbedded waist-deep in the ground head first.

The brothers had, since falling from the Qliphoth Tree into the third ring, made their way down. With Dante possessing the stronger Devil Trigger, his instruction to Vergil to not make any more portals was being followed – at least for now. In the 4th Ring, they had run across an old demon prophet, who informed them of Sparda’s Estate in the 8th Ring. Supposedly, the Estate held not only a Forge but also countless Devil Arms of the Horde that swore itself to the First Dark Knight.

The brothers, lacking any other goal, began to make their way down.

\-----/-----\\-----

An enormous tree loomed ahead of them, its bare raking branches looking more like roots than actual branches. The trunk, easily as wide as a house, was split at the base. Upon reaching the Baobab, Dante stuck his head into the crack. Not seeing anything, nor sensing anything beyond the general stench of hell, he lent further into the tree. The inside was a void, a tunnel leading into the unknown.

“Yo, Verge! I think I found the entry to the next ring,” Dante manifested Balrog and gripped the side of the tree, bracing himself to lean even further. The bark under his fingers crumbled, and Dante bailed forward, ‘Oh, Shiiiiiiiiiiiit!”

Vergil pinched the bridge of his nose and slowly shook his head.

‘ _Dante...’_

He walked over the tree and _stepped_ into the void. Holding Yamato against his chest and keeping his body straight, he plummeted into the void after his brother.

After some time, the wind shifted, and Vergil braced for landing. He hit the ground in a perfect 3- point stance, his left hand holding Yamato behind his back. He easily slid back upright and began walking.

* **Crash** *

Dante landed in a crumpled heap next to Vergil.

“Ow...”

Pulling himself upright, red energy burnt over Dante’s body – first binding, then healing his broken bones. He stretched, loud _cracks_ coming from his various joints.

“OK! Where to next, Vergil”

\-----/-----\\-----

Finally, the gates of Sparda’s Estate stood before them. Great wrought Iron Gates slung between carved towers, a massive obsidian wall stretching as far as the eye can see on each side. The Gate had a moulded scarab beetle welded into it, with demonic runes engraved into the shell.

Dante reached out to push the gate open. As his hand connected, the runes lit up with deep purple energy. From the scarab, a wave of power rippled out, illuminating the wards around the property.

Dante slipped backwards next to Vergil. Red energy wrapped around the younger brother, first forming into a Greatsword in his hand, then changing his body. Within moments, Dante had fully Triggered, his four massive wings flared out, lifting him off of the ground.

Sighing, Vergil Triggered as well, blue energy preceding his change. Two large draconic wings rested over his shoulders, while his Tachi lengthened to a Ōdachi and turned a gleaming azure, ominous spikes growing from the spine of the blade.

The gates silently swung open to permit the brothers’ entry. A long winding road led over a hill and disappeared into the distance. As they stepped through the gate, reality warped, the gate disappearing behind them and a Manor house forming in front of them.

The massive main doors of black oak, carved with images depicting battles that Sparda had fought and led, opened to reveal a Minotaur in a kilt.

The bull-man was large, but not overly bulky like many of his cousins. Standing at just over 2 metres, his long braided red fur contrasted with his black kilt and jacket. His horns, easily half a metre long, were polished to a mirror shine and a wicked point. The Spardas immediately dropped into combat stances – any demon in the 8th Ring was bound to be powerful and probably on the antagonistic side.

“Good morning, Young Lords. Ma name is Aindreas MacBoyne o’ the 5th Hell Legion. I am the warden of Lord Sparda’s Estates and one o’ the las’ remaining loyalists of ‘is personal Horde. Welcome to yer Lord Father’s Estate,” the Minotaur’s voice was deep and had a prominent Scottish accent.

At his words, Dante relaxed and released his trigger. He swung his sword onto his back and stretched. Virgil, on the other hand, stayed ready for combat.

“Come on Verg, its dad’s place. If Andy here was sworn to him then we don’t have anything to worry about him. Yo, Andy, is there a place I can crash?” Dante sauntered into the manor, taking in the bold purple, black and gold colours. His eyes flashed as he examined the various blades and other weapons mounted on the wall and taking note that there were more than double the empty spaces than actual weapons.

“O’Course, Lord Dante, Second Dark Knight. I see ye notice the pitiful state of Sparda’s Armoury. When yer Lord Father took ‘is leave o’ this place, many o’ the demons what swore to ‘im left us an’ made off wit a large number o’ ‘is weapons. I’m but one of five who remain sworn to the Dark Knight, an’ jus’ me’self remains ‘ere at the Manor. If ye would follow me, I shall show to the Lord Sparda’s wing, where ye can take any room that catches yer fancy. Tha’ includes ye, Lord Vergil, the Dark Slayer.”

The Minotaur turned around, and moved into the Manor, followed by the brothers. The walls seemed to ripple as they passed, but beyond that, the building seemed normal, for a Demon Lord’s House.

Aindreas opened the first door in the passage, leading into a double volume living room. A large fireplace was built into the opposite wall, an azure fire illuminating the room. A collection of large leather chairs formed a semi-circle around the fireplace, casting long shadows on the walls. Above the fireplace hung 3 empty sheaths, two fitted for broadswords, and one for a tachi.

“This was Lord Sparda’s main place of leisure when he was’n thrashin’ the life outta ‘is Legion in the Arena. Through that door, ye can find a number o’ rooms. Whichever takes yer fancy ‘tis yers.”

Dante collapsed on one of the chairs and spun the side table from next to it in front of him. He pulled two pistols from their holsters behind his back and laid them side by side on the table.

“Yo, Andy, can I get a cloth of some form? Hell grime ain’t good for my girls, ya know.”

“O’ course, Lord Dante,” Aindreas bowed, and turned to leave the room, “An’ you, Lord Virgil? Will ye be needin’ anything?”

Virgil shook his head, “No, thank you, MacBoyne. If I have need of you, I will find you.” He turned to the fire, seemingly lost in thought. Once the bull-man had left, he turned to Dante, who was striping his white firearm, Ivory, with utmost care and precision. Ebony, already stripped, was laid out neatly on the table.

“It always astounds me, Dante, that you appear to lack anything resembling self-care or personal hygiene, yet the care you show to those… firearms is… well as if they were your children.”

“Yeah, and what would you know about children, Verge? How many times have you actually spoken to Nero in his life? I’ll be generous; you can count while you were V.”

“That is irrelevant, brother. I was unaware of his existence until you told me of him, and my point is that you could stand to show that same care that you treat your weapons to your other personal effects.”

“Yeah, yeah. You sound like Lady when she runs out of coffee. Tell you what, you take Nero out for a milkshake or something when we get back, and I’ll start cleaning up after myself, deal?”

“Very well. Do you think we can trust the Minotaur, this… Aindreas MacBoyne? His presence seems… convenient.”

“Do you think he can beat both of us? I’d put him at A rank, tops. We’re S+ separate.” Dante laid the last piece of Ivory, the pistol grip, down. The disassembled pieces were perfectly arrayed, the black parts mirroring the white in their positions. Dante turned to meet his brother’s eyes.

“Vergil, if there is anything that I’ve learnt in nearly 4 decades of hunting demons, both on Earth and in the lower rings, is that sometimes a leap of faith is required. Not all Demons have black blood, just as not all Angels have white feathers.”

Before Vergil could respond, the door opened, admitting Aindreas. On a silver platter, he held a roll of cloth and a stoneware bowl of steaming liquid.

“Lord Dante. I have taken the liberty to bring a bowl of Lesser Hydra venom. It was used to clean and polish Gilgamesh Steel by the Arms smiths yer Lord Father employed back in the day.”

Dante grabbed the cloth and bowl, before setting to work cleaning the firearm parts.

“I shall take ma leave now, m’Lords. If ye require me, I shall be in the gatehouse. I must recall those who still answer to The Dark Knight.”

Dante waved negligently over his shoulder, while Vergil gave a curt nod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aindreas MacBoyne is an OC, but this is probably the biggest scene he will appear in. He is a Minotaur, whose bull half is a Scottish Highland Cow. His first name, Aindreas shares roots with “Andrew”, the Patron Saint of Scotland. It’s Greek and means “Strong and Manly”. His surname, Mac (the son of) Boyne (the white cow) is Gaelic.  
> For the Triggered form of Virgil’s Yamato, search “Smoulder Dragonsword MHFU” and that’s roughly how it looks. Size-wise, it scales up to be the equivalent of a 5-foot blade in Vergil’s hands, while in Devil Trigger form. Both his and Dante’s Trigger Forms are based on their DMC 5 ones, with Vergil only having 1 pair of wings.
> 
> Next chapter we see the Shadowhunters again, and they head for Redgrave City. Introductions will be fun.
> 
> Read, Enjoy and Review, EoE
> 
> A/A/N:  
> Demon Ranks:  
> \- 1st Ring Grunt demons, what Shadowhunters regularly deal with  
> \- 2nd Ring Also Grunt Demons, a Particularly skilled Shadowhunter team can deal with these with no problems  
> \- 3rd Ring Low Class Named demons. Some have Devil Arms, most do not  
> \- 4th Ring Low Class Named Demons. All have Devil Arms, about D-ranked  
> \- 5th Ring Medium Class Named Demons. Devil Arms are normally C-ranked with some B-rank  
> \- 6th Ring High Class Named Demons. Devil Arms are B- to A Ranked  
> \- 7th Ring Low-Class Demon Lords. Devil Arms are all A-rank minimum  
> \- 8th Ring High-Class Demon Lords. Devil Arms are high A-rank to S-rank  
> \- 9th Ring Pillar Demons, Each representing one of the Seven Sins. If a Pillar becomes a Devil Arm, the weapon will be S- to EX-Rank
> 
> Character Introduction  
> Name: Dante Spardason  
> Alias: Anthony ‘Tony’ Redgrave  
> Title: The Dark Knight’s 2nd Coming; The Legendary Devil Hunter  
> Species: Warlock – Half Demon, Half human – Class: Knight  
> Devil Arm: The Demon Sword, Dante - greatsword  
> Linage: Sparda  
> Overall Rating: S-rank – Dante is considered a threat to our Reality, should he ever decide to go all out. Thankfully, most of the time he is too busy eating his way into a Cholesterol-induced coma to take anything seriously.
> 
> Name: Virgil Spardason  
> Alias: V; Urizen  
> Title: The Dark Slayer  
> Species: Warlock – Class: Kight  
> Devil Arm: The Yamato - Katana  
> Overall Rating: S-Rank – Virgil does not wield the same raw power as his brother, however, his precision and ability to manipulate his opponents makes him Dante’s equal.
> 
> Name: Aindreas MacBoyne  
> Alias: N/A  
> Title: N/A  
> Species: Demon, Primus-class – Class: Rook  
> Devil Arm: Unkown  
> Overall Rating: A – Aindreas served as one of Sparda’s Leutenats in his Legion, and has the strength to prove his rank and position.


	3. Mission 2 - From the City of Glass to the Bloody Cemetery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A group of Shadowhunter are tasked with travelling to Redgrave City. It is not at all what they expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t own the Royalties, only a copy of DMC4, while my sister owns most of the books. I do not own any recognisable characters, and any own characters are not created with the intention of copying existing persons or characters. Inspiration may, however, be taken from a variety of sources, and flattery through imitation is intended.

**_ A Brief History Of The Shadowhunters. _ ** **_– Excerpt from “The Shadow Hunt, an anthology compiled by the Consuls of Alicante”_ **

_The first appearance of Nephilim dates back to Biblical times, as recorded by Solomon the Wise. A “_ Nephilim” _is defined as a “mortal born of Angel’s blood”. The first Nephilim, unlike their demigod cousins from the other pantheons, were deemed “artificial” as they were one hundred per cent human before they ingested Angelic blood. Later, in the medieval period, the Grigori (or Watchers) left Heaven’s Light and took mortal lovers. Their children are now referred to as “Cambions” the Gaelic term of similar meaning._

 _When Raziel, The Angel of Mysteries, first treated with Johnathan Shadowhunter in the century following the birth of Christ, he gifted Man with Three Artifacts: A Chalice that contained his own blood, his sword,_ Maellartach, _and a Mirror that could be used to talk to him. Those who drank of the Chalice – and survived – became Raziel’s champions, the Nephilim order later known as the Shadow Hunters._

_Of those first few Nephilim, Raziel chose those among them who sought the Mysteries of the World and bestowed upon them his personal blessing. Gaining a form of immortality, telepathy and insight akin to Solomon himself, the Silent Brothers were the first sect within the Clave._

_Near a millennia later, The Abrahamic Faiths clashed with the Pagan Religions of Central and Northern Europe. Assimilating these peoples, some of their traditions and concepts were adopted by the rising Faith of the One God._

_At this time, 2 new sects formed within the Clave. Unofficially founded by a Changeling swordsmith, the Faë Vivian, the Iron Sisters took upon themselves the task of Forging weapons for the Shadow Hunters._

_The other sect, also an all-woman group, was born from those female Nephilim who had a gift for Runecraft but were shunned by the Silent Brothers because of their gender. Taking the name “Rune Witch”, these women could shift the tide of a battle with their magicks._

_During the Crusades, the fourth and fifth sects were formed._

_Men and Women who stand steadfast in the face of Insurmountable Odds, Nephilim who fight sword to claw with demons and downworlders, the Paladins are the vanguard of the Clave. Specialising in melee combat, a single Paladin is considered the equal of an entire squad of regular Shadowhunters._

_Support from range, raining fire and steel from the heavens, the Dragoons fought initially with bows and arrows. Their arrows can bring even draconic demons to the ground._

_In the Renaissance, after Raziel and Sparda stormed Temen-Ni-Gru, the sixth sect formed under the guidance of the Face of Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci. The Artificers work in conjunction with the rune witches to craft tools to make easy a Shadow Hunter’s life and work._

_Unfortunately, the World War era hit the Clave just as hard as it did the Mundane populace. We lost more than half our numbers and gained little from the technological advances of the Mundane World._

_In the Ashes of War, Valentine Morgenstern, a once-rising star, founded The Circle, a sect that would supposedly usher in a new age for the Nephilim._

_One must wonder, despite The Circle disbanding, and Valentine being slain by the Angel himself, did his machinations not pave the way to a Brave New World?_

** Mission 2 – From the City of Glass to the Bloody Cemetery **

_ 2 Weeks ago- Alicante _

“Rune Witch! Madam Rune Witch!”

Clary turned to the source of the shouts, a young Nephilim dressed in loose grey training gear. Small rune marks peeked out from his sleeves, none marking his forearms yet.

“Yes-?”

“Ah, sorry ma’am! I was sent to fetch you, ma’am. There’s an… _Iron Sister_ looking for you, ma’am! At the Institute!”

“Thank you. On your way.”

The youngster bolted off, no doubt to regale his friends of the fact that he spoke with the Rune Witch. Clary watched him disappear into the City, then turned to the City Centre.

Across the City of Idris, construction teams built and rebuilt, the City itself was growing to new heights. At each Cardinal point, massive portal blocks were being built, both to control inflow into the city and to give any newcomers a choice look upon the famed City of Glass.

Approaching the Institute, now a massive tower in the centre of the City, the Academy had been rebuilt. The next generation was set to contain more Paladins and Dragoons than any before it. A large market square had formed in front of the Southern wall – and entrance – to the Institute. Stalls managed by downworlders of near every kind littered the square. A werewolf could be seen running a Chinese food stall – probably a member of Maya’s pack. Across from him, a young-looking warlock advertised lessons in rudimentary spell circles – a first in Alicante.

Clary took in the smells and sights of the City, comparing it to how it was when she first came here a decade ago. Then, the City was still, a few Nephilim moving from their homes to the institute and back. Now it was alive and _thriving_.

The Institute itself had been rebuilt after the chaos of the last decade. It now stood at over 60 metre in height, the walls shining with the signature glass that gave the city its name. From her office at the top of the building, the Consul could gaze upon the entire Eastern side of the city. The roof, if it could be called such, was a massive observatory giving an unmatched view of both the City of Glass and the heavens above.

Waiting in front of the tower stood her husband (and Clary still shivered a bit at being able to call Jace hers), and the Lightwood siblings, Alec and Isabelle.

“Clary! What took you?”

“I only just heard that I had to be here like 5 minutes ago.”

“Well, let’s go find this Iron Sister before she uses us to fuel her forge.”

“Please, Alexander, any good smith knows that corpses do not make a hot enough fire for Seraph Steel,” A tall, well-muscled woman had appeared in their midst. One foot on top of a pile of boxes, her sharp eyes examined each of them. Evidently, she found what she was looking for, as she nodded to herself.

“Let’s make this quick. I have places to be that are not here. First, each of you gets a box.”

She lifted her foot off of the pile and passed a box to each Nephilim. The longest went to Jace, the widest to Alec, the smallest to Clary and the last to Isabel.

“These were forged for each of you with the aid of the Dwarves. You will have to name them yourself; you should at some point know what to call them. Their abilities will become available once you have discovered that name. Do not shame Our craft and misuse these weapons.”

With that, the Iron Sister seemed to fade from view.

“Well; that happened. Did anyone know that we were getting new weapons?”

“Not a clue. Let’s see what we’ve got!” Jace’s excitement was palpable.

As one, the group opened their boxes.

Jace lifted out a sheathed longsword. The sheath – made of golden wood - was oddly shaped; a leather baldric fused a full third of its length. An open groove ran down the same distance along the one side, a flange lining the edge of the groove. The hilt, crossguard and pommel were made of Seraph steel, and completely unadorned. When Jace drew the blade, the Seraph Steel blade shimmered, as if in candlelight.

Alec withdrew a pair of Tonfa. The hafts were made of the same golden wood as Jace’s sheath. The ends were capped in Seraph Steel, with filigree lining the length of the weapons.

In Isabelle’s hands sat a Seraph Steel whip sword, made up of interlocking segments with a small ruby set in the pommel. It came with a broad leather belt that had a steel clip next to the buckle.

Finally, Clary held a knife. The blade itself was plain, while the handle appeared to be made up of twisting glass tubes. Its sheath was attached to an armband which also had glass tubes lining it.

Alec spoke up as they took in the implements of battle, “Personalised Seraph weapons… These haven’t been given to any Shadow hunter since…”

“Before the World Wars. And the last one to be wielded in battle was lost during the Somme,” Alec was interrupted by the Consul, who had appeared at the main doors to the institute.

“You lot can gawk over your weapons later when you are not blocking entry to my Institute. By the way, I want the four you and Mr Lewis at my office tomorrow. I have a mission for you.”

_Three days later_

The moon shone down on an empty parking lot. The walls along three of the sides were covered in graffiti. Hidden beneath the paint, a circle of runes lit up.

A shimmering portal spun to life, lighting up the area. 6 figures emerged, the portal closing behind them.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen -and Jace-, to Redgrave city. Remind me again why your Consul wants you to come here of all places? It’s called the Bloody Cemetery for a reason you know.”

“Madam Penhallow wants to know why there has never been a Shadowhunter Presence here, but no reports have ever been seen of _any_ demon activity…”

Magnus laughed, “That’s a good one! No demon activity… in _Redgrave_!”

The shadows around them rippled.

“This place, Redgrave, the Bloody Cemetery, is built on top of a Hellgate. A portal to the First Ring of Hell bypassing Limbo. You really think that there has never been a demon sighting here?”

Shadows pooled together around them. Clawed hands erupted from the shadow before digging into the ground.

“It just so happens that there are downworlders here who prevent anything from leaving the city. Oh, and you guys might want to get ready to fight…”

Reptilian demons rose around the group, spittle flying from snarling maws, claws clattering on the tarmac road and tiled pavement.

Quickly shifting into a defensive circle, weapons drawn and facing outward, the group judged the situation.

“Well, Shit”

“Language, Jace”

“Simon, Alec, what have we got?”

“They’re unnamed, Beast class. Possibly Sleestak.”

“20, 21, 23 and 24 - two dozen of them. No pack alpha.”

“Right: Alec we’ll try and break through, get some altitude- watch for any fliers. Magnus, if you feel like helping, AoE and healing. Izzy, Jace, Simon- let’s do this! _LIGHT_ ”

A flash of light exploded from the redhead, spurring the rest into action. 2 rushed forward into the demons, steel flickering with white light around them. The tall dark-haired male drew an arrow, aimed upwards and loosed an arrow at a balcony two stories upward. A knotted rope trailed from the arrow, which he grabbed as it impacted the concrete. Inertia hauled him upwards towards the balcony. Alec threw himself onto the balcony below where his arrow had struck the wall. Landing on the railing in a crouch, he spun around, knocking an arrow and aiming down at the street.

Down below, the rest had drawn battle lines. Jace had his short sword jammed into a demon’s torso and was using the thing as a meat shield to fend of the others. Isabel spun her electrum whip, spinning it around her body, a web of gold deterring any demons from approaching her. Simon held a regular seraph blade in one hand, and a collapsible riot shield in the other. A hastily drawn _‘faith’_ was on the shield in blood. Clary, behind Simon’s guard, hastily flipped through her _Grimoire_ –The Crimson Tome- looking for a specific rune.

*HOOOOONK*

A white RV with neon writing along the one side launched over a bump in the road, swerving hard to the right. A silver-haired youth – probably of a similar age as the Shadowhunters – hung out of the passenger window. A red and silver revolver roared in his lone hand. The driver – an olive-skinned woman – laughed maniacally, pulling the RV in a tight doughnut. The rear end of the vehicle smacked one of the demons, throwing it into a wall.

“What. The. Hell?” Jace stared at the RV, not comprehending what exactly had happened.

The Silver-haired man, having fully removed himself from the van during the spinning, had a demon by the throat.

“How many times must you bastards be shown the door? Redgrave has a Sparda again, and you fucking demons are _not_ welcome!”

Two ethereal blue arms emerged from his back. They were clawed like a bird’s foot and had large glowing feathers growing from the forearms. With one claw, the Sparda took the demon from his fleshy human hand, and with the other, he tore a hole in reality. Winding up, he threw the Sleestak back into hell and sealed up the hole behind it. He turned to face the Shadowhunters, a feral grin upon his lips. The grin faded when he saw that between the five of them, the Shadowhunters had eliminated the remaining demons, and the archer was climbing down his rope.

“Right, what are you shitheads doing in Redgrave, and why the fuck do you stink of Light?”

The driver of the RV came up behind him on the left, placing her hand on his shoulder.

“Sheesh Nero and you kiss Kyrie with that mouth?” She looked at the group, who had cleaned their weapons, and were trying to present a united front, “So, who’re you lot, anyway- wait is that- is that- Magnus Bane!?”

The warlock in question bowed at the waist with a flamboyant flourish of his hand. Alec smacked the back of Magnus’ head as he straightened up.

“Magnus Bane? High Warlock of Brooklyn?”

“That is indeed me, my dear boy. Tell me, is Dante around?”

“Dante’s been stuck in Hell for the past 6 years, he’s probably not coming back for a while. My name is Nero, Acting High Warlock of Redgrave. Now, again, why are there Cambions in Redgrave? Are you trying to rupture the Hellgate?”

“We’re Nephilim actually…” Jace tried to interject.

“Doesn’t matter. You have angel blood, and it’s making the demons antsy. Normally, I’d boot the lotta ya back to Alicante, but seeing as you have a High Warlock with you, you had better get in,” He turned to the woman next to him, “Nico, let’s get back to the shop. Lady ain’t gonna be impressed, but it’s probably for the best.”

The two climbed back into the van, Nero slapping the stylised logo as he passed it. Their attention drawn to it, the group read the neon cursive,

~Devil May Cry~

“Well, you waiting for an invitation from Gabriel herself? Get in!”

At Nero’s shout, Magnus ushered the group into the vehicle. It was a bit cramped, what with 8 people pile in, but they made do.

The moment the door slammed shut, Nico put pedal to metal, sending the van off with a harsh squeal.

The Alicante group fell over each other, a tangle of limbs and weapons in the back of the van.

“You lot better not trash any of ma gear, ya’ hear?” Nico yelled back at them before turning her attention to Nero (keeping half an eye on the road), “Wow. I woulda thought Nephilim would be able to handle ma driving. What ya think, Nero? C rank?”

Nero scoffed, “The Warlock is S-minus, bishop class. The kids? I wouldn’t put them past C-minus.”

“Daaaamn. That low?”

“Look at them, Nico. You really think they are full C-rank?”

Simon, having managed to extract himself and Isabelle from the mess, knocked on the divider board behind Nico’s seat.

“Uh, hi. Simon Lewis. You said your names are Nero and Nico?”

Nico glanced back, then returned his gaze to the road, “Yeah. What do ya want?”

“I was wondering what you meant by ranks and classes?”

“Oh, that. It’s a system my Uncle thought up to gauge threats.”

“So what, C is lowest, S highest?”

Nico barked out a laugh, “Ooh, let me tell ‘im, Nero”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Ok, so. D is lowest. Means a threat to a regular human. C means a threat to your average beastie or a group of regular humans. Yanno, like a lunatic with a machine gun. B is when you get real. Like able to decimate a city block without really trying.

A’s are things that can threaten entire cities jus’ by showin’ up. S rank are the game-changers. They can potentially damage the fabric of reality itself. EX are outliers, peeps who can deal more damage than S, but only under certain conditions. Anyway, we’re here!”

Nico slammed on the brakes, the Alicante group flying forward in Simon, who in turn was squashed up against the front seats.

Nero glanced back at them, before exiting the vehicle.

“And these are supposed to be the best Alicante can offer…”

The building loomed over the group, the atmosphere helped by the heavy clouds blocking the night sky. Nero walked up the stairs to the double Oak doors, quickly followed by Nico.

“Well? Come in, already!”

The Shadowhunters (and Magnus Bane) looked at each other, before entering the building. They were greeted by a large office room, 6 desks arrayed in a semi-circle facing the door.

First, on the left, a dark-haired woman had what looked like a cannon or rocket launcher in pieces on her desk. With practised motions, she wiped down each part and placed them in neat rows.

The second, a blond woman in a black leather corset and pants lounged with her heeled boots up on her table.

Between her and the third desk –empty- a heavy metal door was bolted shut.

On the fourth desk, a lone bound book sat. A capital ‘V’ was imprinted in the cover.

Nero went to the fifth desk, placing his revolver on it. He collapsed into the swivel chair, causing it to spin slowly. Behind him, an open doorway revealed carpeted stairs leading to the upper floors.

At the sixth and last desk, a blonde girl in her late teens was talking on an old fashioned dial phone, while typing on a high tech laptop.

Nero completed his spin and sat up straight, clasping his hands on his desk,

“Welcome to Devil May Cry: Unorthodox Pest-Control, Demon-Hunters Extraordinaire and all-round supernatural Problem solvers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the Mortal Instruments books, a Seraph Blade is forged by the Iron Sisters, then prepared by a Shadowhunter with runic enchantments. In combat, the Shadowhunter will invoke an Angel’s name, activating the Blade. It can then be used to kill lesser demons and banish higher demons.  
> The Personal Seraph Blades are crafted specifically for an individual. The individual will Name it, thus unlocking its power/potential (Somewhat similar to Shikai in Bleach).  
> On that note: I have names decided already for each weapon. Anyone who can guess the name of a weapon gets to hear the ability of that weapon before I get there in the story.
> 
> I deliberately referenced 1 anime and 1 video game. Kudus to you who spot them.
> 
> Character Introductions:  
> Name: Clarrisa Herondale, nee Fairchild  
> Alias: Clary  
> Title: Rune Witch  
> Species: Nephilim  
> Seraph Weapon: Unnamed dagger  
> Linage: Raziel, ¬Ithriel  
> Overall Rating: C+ Rank – As a Nephilim Rune Witch, Clary is quite capable of holding her own with most of the tougher foes a Shadowhunter may be expected to face
> 
> Name: Jace Herondale  
> Alias: N/A  
> Title: Paladin  
> Species: Nephilim  
> Seraph Weapon: Unnamed longsword  
> Linage: Raziel, Ithriel  
> Overall Rating: C+ Rank – Jace is hailed as the most powerful Shadowhunter since the pre-Industrial era, and rightfully so.
> 
> Name: Alexander Lightwood-Bane  
> Alias: Alec  
> Title: Dragoon  
> Species: Nephilim  
> Seraph Weapon: Unnamed Tonfa pair  
> Linage: Raziel  
> Overall Rating: C Rank – Alec is skilled at ranged combat, however his skill lies in his knowledge of Downworlders. While he knows far more than most Nephilim, there is much he does not know yet.
> 
> Name: Isabelle Lewis, nee Lightwood  
> Alias: Izzy  
> Title: Paladin  
> Species: Nephilim  
> Seraph Weapon: Unnamed whip sword  
> Linage: Raziel  
> Overall Rating: C Rank – Isabelle is a highly capable fighter, specialising in improvised weaponry. Some say she has killed lesser demons with nought but a high heeled shoe…
> 
> Name: Simon Lewis  
> Alias: N/A  
> Title: N/A  
> Species: Nephilim, (?)  
> Seraph Weapon: N/A  
> Linage: Raziel  
> Overall Rating: C Rank – Simon is above average for a first-generation Shadowhunter, however, he has an untapped potential…
> 
> Name: Magnus Bane  
> Alias: N/A  
> Title: High Warlock of Brooklyn  
> Species: Warlock – Class: Bishop  
> Devil Arm: Unknown  
> Linage: Asmodeus  
> Overall Rating: S- - Magnus Bane is one of the oldest known Warlocks in existence. As such his knowledge of Magic makes him incredibly dangerous when he enters the battlefield
> 
> Name: Nero  
> Alias: N/A  
> Title: Acting High Warlock of Redgrave  
> Species: Warlock?  
> Devil Arm: N/A  
> Linage: Sparda; Vergil  
> Overall Rating: A+ - Nero is young for a warlock, however, he has helped prevent at least one Doomsday event so far. As the only Sparda currently on Earth, he is not to be provoked unnecessarily.
> 
> Name: Nicoletta Goldstein  
> Alias: Nico  
> Title: N/A  
> Species: Human  
> Overall Rating: C- - Nico is primarily an Arms-smith and Artificer. Her limited combat experience does not mean she is incapable of defending herself, especially when she is behind the wheel of her beloved van.

**Author's Note:**

> So this hasn’t been done before.  
> Mortal Instruments wise, this is set after the Dark Artificers – I am about halfway through the Mortal Instruments, but my sister – who normally acts as a sounding board for my various crackpot ideas – has read almost all of the books, excluding only the most recent.  
> Devil May Cry, this is after DMC5, and completely ignores the Reboot. My knowledge here comes from watching the cut scene movies, the anime and the Wiki. I have access to DMC4 – when the Xbox decides to work, I will make an effort to play it through between work and studying.  
> I will probably reference a multitude of series, books, anime, movies and other sources, so if you see themes or characters popping up, don’t be too surprised. It is easier to borrow characters that try creating an OC.
> 
> Angels and Gods:  
> \- Angels are ranked by the number of Wing Pairs.  
> \- An Angel with 5 Pairs+ is an Archangel and has an Aspect of Authority  
> \- The Seraphim Council is made up of Archangels (Not all Archangels are Seraphim). All Seraphim have an Authority, rather than an Aspect of Authority  
> \- “Authority” is the term I will use for Divine Power or the Power of a God/god.  
> \- A god (small “g”) is a Minor to Medium Divinity (e.g. Minor = Nike, goddess of Victory; Medium = Athena, goddess of Wisdom)  
> \- A God (Capital “G”) is a Major god e.g. Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth  
> \- A Chieftain God is the Major God in Command of their Pantheon e.g. Zeus, King of the Greek Gods  
> \- A Founding God is the First God to appear in a Mythos/Pantheon:  
> The Earth Mother, Gaia - Greek/Roman  
> The World Giant, Ymir – Scandinavian (Viking)  
> The Sky Father, An - Sumerian  
> The One Above, Yahweh - Abrahamic  
> The Four of the Desert, Atum, Ptah, Thoth and Khnum - Egyptian  
> The One Within, Vishnu - Hindu  
> The Creator Goddess, Woman Gua - Chinese  
> The First, Amanominakanushi-no-kami – Shinto (Japanese)  
> The One from the Mirror, Tiki – Oceanic (Pacific Islands)  
> \- There are other Founding Gods, but I figured this was more than enough to get the point across


End file.
